From Bond to Bourne, feature films dealing with international espionage generally follow a familiar pattern. The hero tends to either be driven by a deep patriotism or at least the bits and pieces of country loyalty that can be remembered. The spy operates in a world where there can be massive shootouts in crowded areas and only the bad guys get hit. Those gun battles are mixed with a romance that either’s sexist or emotionally forced.

“American Assassin,” based on the works of spy novel writer Vince Flynn, takes a very different and refreshing approach. Flynn’s 13 spy novels that started in 1999 with “Transfer of Power” rejected the traditional world of spies, moving the focus to a world that was no longer a tug-of-war between two super powers but often held hostage by a bevy of terror groups around the globe. The approach of the spies playing a chess-like game gave way to more straight-on conflicts.

Flynn did turn to a familiar trope in having the best interests of the United States being protected by a super secret organization under the auspices of the CIA. The latest recruit is Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien), a young man whose dislike for authority runs almost as deep of his hatred of terrorists. Rapp’s the biggest misdirection from standard spy lore as he’s not driven by loyalty or patriotism. A horrific act in his past has left him with a burning hatred to track down and kill as many terrorists as possible.

The CIA would like to channel that energy, and Rapp’s recruited by assistant CIA director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to join the super secret team under the guidance of Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). Rapp may end up being the best asset the CIA has ever had but he must survive Hurley’s sadistic training program.

Training gets put on hold when the team must find a recover stolen plutonium before it can be turned into a nuclear weapon. This sends the team on a trek around the world trying to stop an opponent known only as The Ghost (Taylor Kirsch).

Casting O’Brien was a gamble by the producers as the biggest credits on his resume include “The Maze Runner” and “Teen Wolf.” His rawness is a bonus especially in scenes with Keaton. The pair have a nice antagonistic relationship built on a massive generational gap. The two play off each other very well.

Keaton shines because he’s shown great skill in playing both heroes (“Batman”) and villains (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”). His “American Assassin” character features a little bit of both and Keaton plays both sides with equal enthusiasm and energy.

“American Assassin” also rejects the outdated notion of what female roles should be in a spy story. Lathan brings the kind of commanding clout to make her role as strong as any player in this deadly game of cat and louse.

The big difference is Shiva Negar’s role of Annika, a CIA agent who has been undercover for a half decade and brought into the team to help stop The Ghost. Unlike so many spy stories, her character doesn’t eventually dwindle down to being the damsel in distress, an object of sexual advances by the hero or little more than a visual attraction.

Negar proves that a female character in a spy story can be both beautiful and deadly. The toughness she shows just adds another interesting level to a story that has already churned up the traditional spy story.

The final big element that separates “American Assassin” from the spy pack is that the screenplay by Stephen Schiff, Michael Finch, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz based on Flynn’s book never forgets the action is unfolding in a real world. There’s a gun battle in a small restaurant where multiple patrons get caught in crossfire. The chase scenes have to deal with traffic issues, and after a big fight, there are cuts and bruises.

Director Michael Cuesta brings a solid background in real-world spy stories as he produced multiple episodes of “Homeland” and is equally as in tune with offbeat heroes as the producer of “Elementary” that put a new spin of the character of Sherlock Holmes. Cuesta understands the balance of action and story to keep the audience engaged.

“American Assassin” does stretch the real world approach with the big finale, but this is a spy story and wrapping up the story with a handshake or a face slap would leave the audience — that has been trained on big action scenes — wanting for more. There’s also a slow pacing getting Rapp trained but that doesn’t last too long. This won’t be a problem if “American Assassin” becomes the launching pad for a new type of action spy drama as there are 16 books featuring the exploits of Rapp.

The movie eventually settles into what is an enjoyable blueprint for spy stories. Audiences will be able to connect more with characters like Mitch Rapp because it is very easy to understand being driven by deep and dark emotions. The job will be finished but it is not going to be wrapped up with a gentlemanly battle and a few wise quips.

And “American Assassin” gets the job done in a very real feeling world.

The slick, numbingly relentless new film version of “It,” adapted from the 1986 Stephen King best-seller and a lot rougher than the 1990 TV miniseries, gets a few things right, in flashes of imagery and in the performances. The opening scene is brutally effective, depicting the little Derry, Maine, resident Georgie meeting his cruel preteen doom at the hands, and teeth, of the malevolent supernatural clown Pennywise, and then dragged at alarmingly high speed down into the sewer.

Director Andy Muschietti (born in Argentina, previously known as Andres Muschietti) knows the visceral cinematic value of something wicked this way coming at you, very quickly, herky-jerky style. That was the key to his splendid little short film “Mama” from 2008, which was then expanded into a 2013 feature. Going into “It,” I hoped we’d get more of that visually suggestive fright. It’s there in a few shots: the initial glimpse of the floaters down below, for example, or the slide carousel running amok and then springing Pennywise, played with formidable, unblinking glee by Bill Skarsgard, off the projection screen and into the faces of the kids he’s trying to scare to death.

Those kids are played by some skillful young actors, notably Jaeden Lieberher (“St. Vincent”) as the anguished protagonist Bill. In the prologue his brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) slips out of his life, leaving only a puddle of blood in the street. Bill’s makeshift gang known as “the loser’s club” constitutes a familiar, King-style band of bullied, abused, marginalized teenagers. It’s “Stand by Me” with a killer clown, a shape-shifting, endlessly versatile scare mechanism tailored to each character’s worst fears. Sophia Lillis plays Beverly, the boys’ lust object, whose incestuous father (Stephen Bogaert, always falling asleep in front of the TV like every bad parent in “It”) has prepared her for evil in many forms. Lillis and Lieberher keep the emotional stakes as high and honest as possible.

The screenplay credited to Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga (originally set to direct) and Gary Dauberman shaves King’s massive book roughly in half. In this two-hour, 15-minute picture, we’re dealing only with the kids (transplanted from the 1950s to the 1980s), not their adult selves. The sequel promised by the movie’s finale will take place 27 years later.

That narrative change works fine in principle. The larger question is one of rhythm, and the diminishing returns of one jump scare after another. Director Muschietti’s film is afflicted by a weird case of clutter; nearly every scene begins and ends the same way, with a slow build, a vulnerable child in a cellar or an old, dark house, a violent, bloody confrontation (either in the everyday bullying sequences, which are psychotically vicious, or in the Pennywise appearances) leading up to a KAAA-WHUMMMMMM!!!! sound effect. Such familiar tactics will likely ensure a healthy box office return (the movie’s expected to make $70 million opening weekend), but the result plays like an Olympic hurdles event, with a really, really long track.

King knows what he’s doing: Back in 1986, the year “Stand by Me” came out in theaters, “It” put the whammy on millions. He couldn’t lose. Sinister red balloons. The geyser of blood gushing up from the bathroom sink. Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, is money in the bank, as well as a tiring cliche, one the World Clown Association takes seriously. From their recent, sternly worded protest letter: “People dressed as horror clowns are not ‘real clowns.’ They are taking something innocent and wholesome and perverting it to create fear in their audience.”

King was hardly the first to exploit that fear factor. The movie won’t be the last. While Pennywise has been given a fabulous costume (thanks to designer Janie Bryant), and cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung’s smudged interiors and not-quite-blue skies (until the final scene) do their part, what do we have here, really? We have a story that feels not so much freshly imagined as dutifully recounted.

It’s the houseguests from hell in writer-director Darren Aronofsky’s latest film, the bonkers “mother!” starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem as a couple living in an isolated, rambling country house, who have to contend with some rambunctious invaders.

Based off the trailer and poster, many have surmised that this is Aronofsky’s tribute to “Rosemary’s Baby,” and there are similarities: the waifish young blonde wife (Lawrence), the egotistical artist husband (Bardem), the overbearing older couple (Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer), who make themselves at home despite the discomfort of the subservient, passive bride.

The films share character types and the theme of pregnancy and parenthood, but “mother!” is possessed of a raucous, wild energy that builds to a riotous crescendo, and the villain here is not Satan, but unchecked humanity itself. There’s more than enough evil to go around with the people who assemble in this home.

Cinematically, “mother!” is an expertly executed wild ride. Aronofsky keeps the audience focused completely on the subjective experience of Lawrence’s unnamed young wife, as unwanted guests invade her sanctuary, a huge, lonely Victorian mansion. The camera follows her as she walks throughout the house, grants us access to her point of view, moves uncomfortably close for nearly abstract close ups of the dewy planes of Lawrence’s face. The overlapping sound design is note perfect. Footfalls take on the tenor of gunshots, voices signal danger, and always, she experiences an overwhelming ringing in her ears.

Lawrence is remarkably restrained throughout the first two-thirds of the film, as the perfect little wife too polite for her own good. She modulates her tone, and never gets mad enough at her rude intruders. When she finally, finally screams, “Get out of my house!” it’s a cathartic experience for her, and the audience.

The film does go completely off the rails at a point where you expect it to end, after all of its exhausting mayhem. But Aronofsky pushes it completely to the limit, drains every drop in the same way that his leading lady does. Lawrence’s press tour has detailed the physical challenges and injuries of this shoot, and Aronofsky holds nothing back. There are some sickeningly violent images that are deeply uncomfortable to watch and toe the line of decency.

Critics were provided with a director’s statement to be read before the film, elucidating what was on Aronofsky’s mind when he coughed up the screenplay for “mother!” over the course of five feverish days of writing. But the best way to see this film is knowing as little as possible. When we’re clued into Aronofsky’s thought process, it leads to a sense that his metaphor is a little too on-the-nose as we plunge into the absolutely insane climax of the film.

However, what makes “mother!” brilliant is that it is open enough to read and project your own experiences onto it, which makes it deeply personal and universal. More than any metaphor about the state of the world, “mother!” is a film about being in a relationship with a narcissist: someone who takes and takes and takes all of your love down to the very last drop without ever giving anything back. Any viewer can place their own experiences on top of this story, and ultimately, hopefully, honestly consider what it fully means to give, and to take.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful blond single mom named Alice (Reese Witherspoon), who lived in an exquisitely curated mansion in Los Angeles with her two lovely daughters. The daughter of a famous movie director, Alice doesn’t need to work (though she’d kinda like to be a decorator), but spends her time unloading Whole Foods bags, drying dishes that have already been through the dishwasher and sighing attractively.

For her 40th birthday, she receives a gift: three magical 20-something men — filmmakers, supposedly, or perhaps visitors from Planet Why Don’t I Live There — who promptly move into her guesthouse. All are handsome, well-groomed, appreciative of high-thread-count sheets and uncannily perceptive about life, but each has a special role. One is a computer whiz who attends to her tech needs; one provides enthusiastic free child care for the girls; and one takes up residence in Alice’s (gorgeous) bedroom. But wait until you hear about the kitchen tile. And about Alice’s not-quite-ex-husband (Michael Sheen), who keeps turning up in his shawl-collared cardigans to complicate things.

This, my friends, is “Home Again,” another sweet-natured fairy tale from the Nancy Meyers factory (“It’s Complicated,” “Something’s Gotta Give”), in which a (just barely) middle-aged woman finds all her problems solved. In the film’s only surprising twist, it’s not actually directed by Meyers (who produced), but by her daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer. Suffice to say the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. Nobody’s behavior here resembles that of an actual person, and the directing is often awkward: A sudden close-up of a wastebasket, for example, seems to exist only to show us that, yes, it’s a very nice wastebasket. But Witherspoon and the rest of the cast are blandly charming (especially Sheen, though I kept wishing he would channel his “Twilight” vampire). And the real estate is, of course, to die for.

Watch HBO’s “Big Little Lies” if you want to see what Witherspoon’s truly capable of; watch this film for some turn-off-your-brain prettiness. Be prepared, however, to rethink all your kitchen choices afterward.

There's not a whole lot that's new about "The Hitman's Bodyguard ." Its mismatched-pals premise is the stuff of classic buddy comedies. Stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson play their typical character types: Reynolds the handsome do-gooder; Jackson the unflappable badass whose favorite word is mother(expletive). And like many movie heroes past, they're tasked with taking down a brutal dictator.

Yet that kind of familiar framework is what makes this action-packed mashup of gun battles, car chases, fist fights and international intrigue such a delight: Leave reality's chaos at the door, and lose yourself in a world where the bad guys get what's coming to them and Sam Jackson spontaneously breaks into song. (He actually sings three times in this film — once in Italian! With nuns! Plus his own, original F-word-laden tune.)

And did I mention there's a love-story subplot?

Reynolds plays Michael Bryce, a well-manicured, tightly wound, type-A personality who works in "executive protection," providing high-end, high-stakes bodyguard services for society's unsavories. His career and polished image take a nosedive after a weapons dealer he was protecting is killed by a sniper. Bryce blames his Interpol detective ex-girlfriend, Amelia (Elodie Yung), for the deadly mistake, believing she leaked information to her law-enforcement colleagues.

A couple years later, Amelia is tapped to transport notorious hit-man Darius Kincaid (Jackson) to International Criminal Court, where he's to be the sole witness testifying against murderous Belarusian dictator Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman, always perfect). Dukhovich deploys his bottomless army of goons to take out their convoy and ultimately eliminate Kincaid, who promised his testimony in exchange for the release of his wife, Sonia (Salma Hayek), from jail.

Outgunned and desperate, Amelia turns to Bryce for help, promising to help restore his career if he can get Kincaid to The Hague safely. Thus begins the odd-couple pairing of Reynolds and Jackson and premise for various physical and verbal throw-downs, with the bad guys and each other.

And he proves it, taking out baddies even while handcuffed and outracing a fleet of armored cars while whipping a speedboat through Amsterdam's canals. Jackson soars in roles like these, and his performance is as bulletproof as Kincaid is rumored to be. The 68-year-old is as thrilling an action star as any decades younger. It wouldn't be surprising to learn he does his own stunts, and insisted on manning that speedboat himself.

Reynolds works his comic and superhero action chops and Hayek is at her fieriest as a barmaid unafraid to cut a guy's carotid with a broken bottle.

Director Patrick Hughes ("The Expendables 3") keeps the action grounded in the story's narrative without compromising the excitement. The movie is loud, with several explosions that could shake a nervous viewer from her seat, but the chases are epic, especially the speedboat scene, during which Reynolds' character kept pace on a motorcycle.

Screenwriter Tom O'Connor mitigates the serious matter in his story — the trial of a tyrant for war crimes against his own people — with brisk banter and thrilling fight sequences, along with a touch of sweetness as it becomes clear that both Bryce and Kincaid are motivated by love.

If only movies could make that universal.

"The Hitman's Bodyguard," a Lionsgate release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for "strong violence and language throughout." Running time: 118 minutes. Three stars out of four.

Ratings by the Motion Picture Association of America are: (G) for general audiences; (PG) parental guidance urged because of material possibly unsuitable for children; (PG-13) parents are strongly cautioned to give guidance for attendance of children younger than 13; (R) restricted, younger than 17 admitted only with parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) no one 17 and younger admitted.

“Against the Night” — Filming a ghost-hunting video in an abandoned prison, nine friends sense they are not alone. With Hannah Kleeman, Tim Torre, Frank Whaley. Written and directed by Brian Cavallaro. (1:25) NR.

“American Assassin” — A black ops recruit and a Cold War veteran are recruited by the deputy director of the CIA to stop a mystery operative hitting civilian and military targets. With Dylan O’Brien, Michael Keaton, Sanaa Lathan, Shiva Negar, Scott Adkins, Taylor Kitsch. Written by Stephen Schiff and Michael Finch and Edward Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz; based on the novel by Vince Flynn. Directed by Michael Cuesta. (1:51) R.

“Dayveon” — A 13-year-old Arkansas boy is recruited by a local gang as he struggles with the death of his older brother. With Devin Blackmon, Kordell “KD” Johnson, Dontrell Bright. Written by Amman Abbasi, Steven Reneau. Directed by Abbasi. (1:15) NR.

“First They Killed My Father” — A 5-year-old girl and her family are driven out of Phnom Penh and terrorized by the Khmer Rouge. With Sareum Srey Moch, Phoeung Kompheak, Sveng Socheata. Written by Angelina Jolie, Loung Ung, based on her memoir. Directed by Jolie. In Khmer and English with English subtitles. (2:16). NR.

“Infinity Chamber” — In the future, an automated justice system is subject to computer malfunction, leading to a wrongly convicted man being trapped in a prison as war rages outside. With Christopher Soren Kelly, Cassandra Clark. Written and directed by Travis Milloy.

“Justice” — While investigating the murder of his brother in 1870, a U.S. marshal uncovers a town’s plot to reignite the Civil War. With Nathan Parsons, Stephen Lang, Robert Carradine, Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Written by John Lewis, Shawn Justice, D.C. Rahe, Jeff Seats. Directed by Richard Gabai. R.

“Neary’s — The Dream at the End of the Rainbow” — Documentary on Irishman Jimmy Neary and his family’s New York City pub, feeding Gotham since 1957. Featuring the archbishop of New York, Timothy Cardinal Dolan; former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Kathie Lee Gifford. Directed by Neil Leifer. (1:00) NR.

“ No Maps on My Taps and About Tap” — The two tap dancing documentaries directed by George T. Nierenberg reignited interest in the form when they were released more than 30 years ago. Newly restored. (1:25) NR.

“Red Trees” — Director Marina Willer examines the current refugee crisis through her own family’s experience fleeing Prague during World War II in this documentary. Narrated by Tim Pigott-Smith. (1:27) NR.

“Ryde” — A psychopath takes over the identity of a driver for a popular ride-sharing app. With David Wachs, Jessica Michel, Ronnie Alvarez. Written by Brian Frank Visciglia, Kat Silvia, Dustin Frost. Directed by Visciglia. (1:24) NR.

“School Life” — A married couple, teachers at the Irish boarding school Headfort for almost 50 years, are profiled in this documentary. Written and directed by Neasa Ni Chianain, David Rane. (1:39) PG-13.

“The Show” — In search of ratings a TV host and exec launch a reality show in which players are killed on the air. With Josh Duhamel, Giancarlo Esposito, Famke Janssen. Written by Kenny Yakkel, Noah Pink; story by Yakkel. Directed by Esposito. (1:44) R.

“Strong Island” — The path of an African-American family leads from the Jim Crow South to Long Island, N.Y., and their son’s 1992 murder in this documentary. Directed by Yance Ford. (1:47) NR.

“Trophy” — The effects of big-game hunting, breeding and wildlife conservation on endangered African animals are investigated in this documentary. Directed by Shaul Schwarz; co-directed by Christina Clusiau. (1:48) NR.

“The Unknown Girl” — A young female doctor attempts to discover the identity of a dead girl so that she is not buried anonymously. With Adele Haenel, Jeremie Renier, Olivier Bonnaud, Louka Minnella. Written and directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne. In French with English subtitles. (1:53) NR.

“Vengeance: A Love Story” — Nicolas Cage plays a detective and Gulf War vet who seeks justice for a single mother brutalized by gang members. With Don Johnson, Anna Hutchinson. Directed by Johnny Martin. (1:39) NR.

“The View From Here” — A change of fortune hits a respected Bay Area chef who seemingly has it all. With Jeremy Andorfer-Lopez, DeJean Brown, Kellen Garner, Doree Seay. Written and directed by Garner. (1:42) NR.

“Wetlands” — A former star Philadelphia cop lands back home in a precinct near Atlantic City as the area prepares for a major hurricane. With Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Heather Graham, Christopher McDonald, Jennifer Ehle. Written and directed by Emanuele Della Valle. (1:38) NR.

“The Wilde Wedding” — A former film star invites family and friends to upstate New York as she weds husband No. 4, a famous British writer. With Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Patrick Stewart, Minnie Driver, Grace Van Patten, Noah Emmerich. Written and directed by Damian Harris. R.

“Year by the Sea” — With her children out of the house, a woman retreats to Cape Cod rather than relocate with her husband to Kansas. With Karen Allen, Celia Imrie, S. Epatha Merkerson, Yannick Bisson, Michael Cristofer, Alvin Epstein. Written and directed by Alexander Janko; based on the book by Joan Anderson. (1:54) NR.

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CRITICS’ CHOICES

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“Beach Rats” — Eliza Hittman’s moving and moodily evocative coming-of-age drama follows the emotional and sexual confusion of a Brooklyn teenager (brilliantly played by Harris Dickinson) over the course of a long, hot summer. (J.C.) R.

“The Big Sick” — Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan are terrific as a young couple navigating the challenges of interracial romance and Muslim immigrant identity in director Michael Showalter's delightful, serious-minded comedy, which also features powerhouse supporting turns from Holly Hunter and Ray Romano. (J.C.) R.

“California Typewriter” — Doug Nichol’s documentary is a rich, thoughtful, meticulously crafted tapestry about the evolution of the beloved writing machine for purists, history buffs, collectors and others fighting to preserve or re-embrace analog life. (Gary Goldstein) NR.

“Columbus” — John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson play two strangers who go on a walking-and-talking tour of the modernist architecture in Columbus, Ind., in this serenely intelligent, gorgeously contemplative first feature from writer-director Kogonada. (J.C.) NR.

“Dunkirk” — Both intimate and epic, as emotional as it is tension-filled, Christopher Nolan’s immersive World War II drama is being ballyhooed as a departure for the bravura filmmaker, but in truth the reason it succeeds so masterfully is that it is anything but. (K.Tu.) PG-13.

“Girls Trip” — Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and a revelatory Tiffany Haddish play four women renewing the bonds of friendship on a New Orleans weekend getaway in this hilariously raunchy and sensationally assured new comedy from director Malcolm D. Lee (“The Best Man”). (J.C.) R.

“Good Time” — Robert Pattinson gives a revelatory performance as a scuzzy small-time crook going nowhere very fast in this moody, relentless and impeccably observed New York thriller directed by Josh and Benny Safdie. (J.C.) R.

“Patti Cakes” — A canny mix of slickness and grit, this exuberant hip-hop fairy tale from first-time writer-director Geremy Jasper stars Australian actress Danielle Macdonald in a sensational performance as an aspiring rapper in New Jersey. (J.C.) R.

“The Teacher” — A fine Czech film about a teacher with a malevolent gift for taking advantage of students and parents. The Jan Hrebejk-directed movie joins an understanding of human nature with fastidious control over technique and style. (K.Tu.) NR.

“Wind River” — Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen star in the most accomplished violent thriller in recent memory, a tense tale of murder on a Native American reservation made with authenticity, plausibility and wall-to-wall filmmaking skill by writer-director Taylor Sheridan. (K.Tu.) R.

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